There would have been plenty of smiling faces in Stamford, Connecticut on Saturday night.
CM Punk's debut defeat to Mickey Gall on the main card of UFC 203 was almost certainly enjoyed by many at WWE HQ.
In 2014, Punk walked away from the wrestling ring as one of the most popular superstars on the roster.
Shortly thereafter, he appeared on a UFC broadcast where he outlined his plans to begin training in and ultimately compete in mixed martial arts.
After a lengthy two-year wait, that debut took place on Saturday evening and it surprised few to watch Punk (real name Phil Brooks) get taken out in just over two minutes.
https://twitter.com/karlt187/status/775060988764848129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Punk came rushing out against the highly favoured Gall, was taken down with little resistance, had his back taken and was submitted via rear naked choke.
The sequence bore an uncanny resemblance to the opening of a match at WWE Backlash the very next night when Dolph Ziggler and The Miz seemingly took a swipe at the downfall of one of WWE's former star performers.
https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/775142536205656064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
During his time as a WWE superstar, Punk once paid a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Chael Sonnen's embarrassing defeat to Anderson Silva in their rematch for the UFC middleweight title when Sonnen uncharacteristically threw a spinning elbow, missed and was subsequently hit with a devastating knee to the body.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le0no3mFP30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-InZujwEj_8
Vince McMahon doesn't seem like a spiteful man so it would astound us if he intentionally mocked CM Punk's loss.
And yes, that is sarcasm you detect there.
The GAA Hour took their show on the road to Castlebar to preview the All-Ireland final with Colm Parkinson, James Horan and some very special guests. Listen below or subscribe here on iTunes.
